Heater



Sept. 30, 1941. c. E. MEYERHOE'FER Re; 21,913

HEATER Original Filed May 7, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 'INVENTOR. (arl Efieyerlzmy'er BY I MQ W ATTORNEYS P 1941- 'c. E. MEYERHOEFER Re. 21,913

HEATER Original Filed May '7, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR. 47 7('ar/ A? l/a away By will \RQMLQMK MW ATTORNEYS Sept. 30, 1941. c.MEYERHOEFER Re. 3

HEATER Original Filed May 7, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

MXQWMW ATT RNEYS Sept. 30, 1941. V c. E. MEYERHOEFER HEATER OriginalFiled May '7, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I-NVENTOR. BY ('ar/Mryir/me/er MNQMJL W ATTORNEYS Reissued Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HEATER Carl E. Meyerhoefer, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to E. A.Laboratories, Inc., Brooklyn, N. ,Y., a corporation of New York OriginalNo. 2,087,160, dated July 13, 1937, Serial No. 141,273, May 7, 1937.Application for re- 1 issue July 19, 1941, Serial No. 403,240

16 Claims. (oi.' 257-137) This invention relates to a structurally andfunctionally improved heater, capable of use in numerous differentassociations, but ideally adapted for employment in connection withvehicles, and especially within the bodies of vehicles driven byinternal combustion motors or similar sources of power and in thecircuit of which it maybe connected.

may be eiilciently distributed in a novel manner, such distributionatthe will of the operatoroccurring in any desired direction.

Another object of the invention is that of constructing a heater whichwill not alone serve to eillciently warm a pre-determined space, butwhich will also incorporate a structure such that proper volumes of airmay be intensely and locally distributed. Accordingly, and for example,the heater, while serving to properly condition air within the interior'of a vehicle or otherwise, may also distribute, in concentrated form, ablast of air to the surface of the windshield or to an air deflector ina portion of the vehicle or room relatively remote from the heater body.

still another object is that of constructing a unit of this characterand which,'consistent with the achievement of the foregoing, will occupyonly a very small amount of space. Accordingly, it may" be convenientlymounted against practically any proper supporting wall and withoutinterfering with the desired use of the enclosure within which it isdisposed.

An additional object is that of jfurnishing a heater embodyingrelatively few parts, each individually simple and rugged in'-construction and a which, when assembled, will operate over long:periods of time with freedom from all difficulties.

- With these and other objects mama, referalong the lines H and in thedirection of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the main units of the heater and showingthe same in disassembled condition;

Fig. 5 is a partly sectional side view of the heater;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a slightly differentform of construction; and

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 6, and withcertain of the parts broken away to disclose underlying construction.Referring primarily to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be noted that thenumeral Ill indicates a heat transfer unit such as a core and which isprovided with header portions. ll extending from its opposite sideedges. These portions are connected to tubes If, one being associatedwith the lower portion of one header, while the other is associated withthe upper portion of the second header. In this manner athermally-induced now through the core is assured and the heater may beturned through 90 without such turning interfering with this action. Thecore may, of course, include any desired construction, such as aconventional cellular structure, tubes and woe is had to theattachedsheets-of drawings vention, and in which:

' illustrating practical embodiments of the in- Fig, 1 is a sectionalplan view of .a heater 4 taken along the line l- I and in thedirectionofthe arrows as indicated in Fig. 2'with the "g pipe, 'core and motorcasing not sectioned: i

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof;

5 F 85. 3 is a transverse sectional vi av' heat transfer strips, orotherwise.

The core is enclosed within a casing II which maybe formed of anydesired material and have any acceptable finish. This casing presents anopen face in line with the core body and a shroud plate 14 may be fixedto its rear edge and secured against movement in any desired manner. Theshroud plate is formed with an opening in line with the center portionof the unit II, and this opening may, be defined by a forwardly inclinedflange I5. At this time it is also to be noted that plate I 4 maypresent any desired number of inwardly extending portions ll,cooperating with bumpers l secured to the heat transfer structure orcore. are preferably of rubber, or similar material, andthus provide aresilient mounting in addition to allowing for expansion and contractionof the core without consequent rattling or straining of the parts.

Now referring additionally to'Fig. 4, it will be noted that plate llmounts-as for example by screws or bolts ll-a housing II. A secondarycasing 2| isdisposed within housing II and may have external flangeportions 21 by means of These bumpers of casing and extends tangentiallytherefrom in line with such opening. The outer end of this duct may, forexample, be connected to a conduit member 24 through which air may bedistributed upwardly and/or downwardly according to the position of avalve 25 conveniently controlled by a shaft 26. Before concludingconsideration of housing I9, it will be observed that the latter isformed with an opening 21, through which duct 23 may extend outwardly,and this housing is also formed with a series of openings 29, adjacentthe outer edges of which louvers or deflector panels 29 may be disposed,to direct any air discharge through the upper or lower openingsoutwardly and rearwardly in the direction of the core. In thisconnection, it will be understood that the heater will generally bemounted with its front side facing the rear of a vehicle. In any case,the openings 28 and the louvers 29 will be disposed in a manner todirect the air discharge in such direction; with respect to the heaterportion as may be useful or desirable. As shown, air discharged throughone of the sets of side openings may be similarly directed but thedeflectors or louvers associated with the opposite set of openingsconveniently deflect the air downimpeller is employed. The motorincludes a casing 39 which may be mounted upon a plate 3 I the face ofwhich may be recessed as at 32 to accommodate a central pair of bolts 33mounted in grommets 34 of rubber or similar material and supporting themotor casing. As indicated particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, there mayextend from the motor casing and at points intermediate the grommets 34a pair of rubber studs 35 which bear against the inner face of plate 3I.In this manner the motor is mounted against shocks and motor noises willnot be transmitted to any considerable degree to the heater structure.Heater mounting bolts 36 extend through openings in the corner recesseso-r countersunk portions 32 and have their bodies securedagainstmovement by nuts 31. In this manner, it is feasible to drill the dash ofa vehicle or any other wall so that bolts 36 may be passed through thesame and these bolts at points beyond the wall may have lockwashers andnuts applied to them to secure the heater against displacement.

The inner end of the motor shaft 39 extends into the opening deflned byflange I5, and at this including an outer ring 49, an annular series ofblades H and a rear plate 42 is coupled to hub 39 by having this rearplate extend forwardly and inwardly as indicated at 43. The space de-.flned by the inner edges of blade? 4I may be substantially equivalent tothat o the opening in shroud plate I4. The diameter of opening 22 insecondary plate 29 is sufiicient to properly accommodate thisblower-wheel, it being apparent that when the parts are positioned as inFig. 1, portions of the Wheel extend into the secondary casing 29, butfor example, the major portion of the wheel extends between the rearedge of casing 29 and the corresponding edge of'housing I9.

As afore brought out, secondary casing 29 is preferably attached toplate I4 by spot w'elding.

This plate is also attached conveniently to casing I3 by welding, andthe same is true of plate 3| and housing I9. Thus, the heater isassembled in two major units. One of the these comprises core III,casing I3, plate I4 and casing 29, while the second of the sameconveniently includes plate 3I and housing I9. Motor 30 is, of course,assoeiated with plate 3|, and the blower-wheel is attached to the motorshaft, and housing I9 is secured to shroud plate I4. However, underthese circumstances, all parts may be tested with facil-v ity, and afterthe test has been successfully concluded, all that remains for theoperator to do is to employ securing elements III, or their equivalents,to join the two major portions. It is obvious that, if desired, themotor mounting plate 3| may be formed with an opening 44 through whichthe motor hearing may be lubricated.

In use, a suitable supporting surface is provided with openings for theaccommodation of tubes I2 and bolts 36. Thereafter, the latter areclamped against movement and the tubes are connected to a suitablesource of heated fluid, as, for example, the cooling system of aninternal combustion motor. Motor 30 being connected to a source ofsuitable current supply (not shown), it follows that shaft 38 willrevolve, thereby driving the blower-wheel. It may be mentioned inpassing that 'the control to the motor, in accordance with conventionalpractice, preferably includes a variable resistance or other suitablecontrol so that the speed of drive of the motor may be varied asdesired. However, in any event, it is obvious that air will be drawnthrough the core l0 and opening defined by flange I5 and dischargedthrough secondary casing 29 & wellas housing I9. The air in moving incontact with core I II will obviously have its temperature raised sothat the air discharged by the blower-wheel will be in proper condition.Air flowing through duct 23 will be distributed by the conduit member24, for example, to the windshield and/or rear compartment of thevehicle. The remainder of the air will seek to flow through openings".

These openings may be uncontrolled if desired, in which case such flowwill be unimpeded.

If control is desired however, this may be secured" by, for example, thestructure especially shown in Fig. 5. In this view it will be observedthat a sleeve 45 is slidably mounted on guides and encloses housing I9.This sleeve has a configuration allowing advance and retraction'of itsbody over casing I3, and motor mounting plate 3| with as small aclearance as is practicable. An actuator 46 may serveto shift this*sleeve forwardly and rearwardly. With a form of construction such asthis, the louvers 29 are dispensed with in so far as' housing I9 isconcerned.

They may however, be conveniently disposed sdjacent openings formed. insleeve 45; such louvers having been indicated by the numeral 41. Thesleeve openings in adjacent faces ofthe sleeve are so arranged withreference to the openings formed in housing III that it is necessary toshift the sleeve to different positions to more or less align the sleeveopenings with the housing openings. Conditions being substantiallyequal, 1t is apparent that air will follow the path of least resistance.Accordingly. if the sleeve is moved to a position at which it overlapsmounting plate 3|, air will be discharged in substantially equal'volumes throughout the openings in its various faces. If, however, theparts are in the position shown, for example, in Fig. 5, air will flowthrough the lowermost set of louvers. Rearward move- 21,918 ment ofcontrol 46 will induce air to flow through in detail. However, it willbe observed that the shroud plate indicated at 48 is formed with amaterially larger opening. Also, the secondary casing 49 correspondingto casing is located adjacent the motor mounting plate 3| rather thanadjacent plate I. Additionally, the blowerwheel 50 may conveniently beof slightly less diameter than the wheel indicated at 4043. However,secured to the same hub which supportsthis wheel, or, in fact, forming apart 01' the wheel, is a fan 5| which lies adjacent the forward end ofthe wheel. Moreover, the secondary casing 49 may have welded to it adeflector or baiile plate in the form of a ring 52, curved in section,and 'of a diameter such that it extends in line with and beyond thebodies of blades 5|.

As is well appreciated, the inner portions of fan blades are relativelyinefllcient; the maximum volume of air driven by the fan being impelledby zones of the blades situated adjacent the tips of the latter. On theother hand, a

blower-wheel is relatively efficient. Thus, in this form ofconstruction, those portions of the fan which would not be contributingto any material extent to the flow'of air are eliminated and insteadthere is presented a passage through.

which air may flow to be impelled by the wheel. In common with thepreviously described .construction, a portion of the air may be divertedoutwardly to pass through the openings in housing l9, while theremainder of the air distributed by the wheel is discharged into andthrough the secondary casing. However, incident to the provision of thefan blades a greatly augmented volume of air will be drawn through thecore and the opening in the shroud plate and be directed into thehousing to pass through the openings of the latter. This flow will beparticularly eflicient'if a baflie plate or deflector such as 52 isemployed, and it is to be appreciated that such' a structure ispreferably employed.

While the present invention has been described particularly inconnection with a. heater for which use it is primarily intended, itwill be understood that portions or all of the presently suggestedstructures might be advantageously utilized in connection with heatexchange] in general. Moreover, numerous changes in construction andrearrangements of the parts might be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

elated with said impeller for accelerating the flow of air through atleast one of said passages.

-2. An apparatus of the character described including a heat transfercore, an air impeller arranged beyond said core to receive air flowingtherefrom and to distribute the same radially, means for driving saidimpeller, a housing enclosing said impeller and providing, a passage forthe flow of air therefrom, a casing also disposed adjacent said impellerand providing a passage for the flow of air distinct from said firstnamed passage, and a further impelling means secured to rotate with saidfirst named impeller for increasing the volume of air distributedthrough one of said passages.

3. An apparatus of the character described including in combination acore, air impelling means positioned adjacent said core, a motorconnected to said means to rotate the same to draw-air through said coreand to distribute the same radially, and means for deflecting theradially distributed air forwardly toward said core and outwardly beyondthe edges of the same.

4. An apparatus of the character described including in combination acore, air impelling means positioned adjacent said core, a motorconnected to said means to rotate the same to draw air through said coreand to distribute the same radially, means for deflecting a portion ofthe radially distributed air forwardly toward said core and outwardlybeyond the edges of the same, and means enclosing a portion of saidimpelling means and providing a passage for the tangential distributionof a column of air.

5. An apparatus-of the character described including in combination acore, a motor disposed to the rear of the same, a shaft extending fromsaid motor, a blower wheel secured to said shaft and disposed to therear of said core to suck air therethrough, a fan secured to said wheelfor also drawing air through said core, and distributing the samerearwardly, means for deflecting said rearwardly distributed airoutwardly and forwardly beyond the edges of said core, and a casingencircling said blower wheel to receive air radially distributed therebyand in turn to distribute the same in the form of a column extendingtangentially from said wheel. I

6. An apparatus of the character described including in combination acore, a motor disposed I to the rear of the same, a shaft extending fromsaid motor, a blower wheel secured to said shaft and concentricallydisposed with respect to said motor, a fan associated with said wheel torotate therewith, a casing'extending around said wheel and to. receiveair drawn through said core and radially distributed by said wheel, saidcasing being formed with an outlet through which the air flowingtherethrough is distributed in the form of a column, and a deflectorring disposed to the rear of said fan to receive air discharged thereby.

7. An apparatus of the character described including in combination acore, a motor disposed to the rear of-the same, a shaft extending fromsaid motor, a blower wheel secured to said shaft and concentricallydisposed with respect to said motor, a fan associated with said wheel torotate therewith, a casing extending around said wheel and to receiveair drawn through said core and radially distributed by said wheel, saidcasing v being formed with an outlet through which the air flowingtherethrough is distributed in the form of a column, and a deflectorring disposed to the rear of said fan to receive air discharged thereby,said ring being secured to said casing and being curved in sectionwhereby the air impelled by said fan is distributed forwardly andoutwardly beyond the edges of said core.

, 8. An apparatus of the character described, including in combination acore, a motor shaft disposed to the rear of the same, a blower wheelsecured to said shaft and in line with said core, a fan associated withsaid wheel to rotate therewith, said wheel and fan both acting to drawair through said core and rearwardly thereof, and a casing extendingaround said wheel to receive air radially distributed thereby and to, inturn, distribute such air in the form of a column.

9. An apparatus of the character described, including, in combination, acore, a motor shaft disposed to the rear of the same, a shroud platealso disposed to the rear of said core, a blower wheel secured to saidshaft and to the rear of said plate, a fan associated with said wheel torotate therewith, said fan extending within the opening of said plateand acting in conjunction with said wheel to draw air through said coreand through said plate opening, and a casing extending around said wheelto receive air radially distributed thereby and to in turn distributesuch, air in the form of a tangentially extending column.

10. An, apparatus of the character described including in combination acore, a blower wheel positioned adjacent said core, a motor connected tosaid wheel to rotate the same, to draw air through said core and todistribute the same radially and means for deflecting the radiallydistributed air forwardly. towards said core and out- I wardly beyondthe edges of the same.

11. An apparatus of the character described including in combination acore, a blower wheel positioned adjacent said core, a motor connected tosaid wheel to rotate the same, to draw air through said core and todistribute the same radially, means for deflecting a portion of theradially distributed air forwardly towards said core and outwardlybeyond the edges of the same and means enclosing a portion of said wheeland providing'a passage for the tangential distribution of a column ofair.

' 12. An air conditioning device comprising a casing having air inletand outlet openings, a radiator supported in the casing for conditioningthe airas it enters the casing at the inlet opening, an air propellingunit within the casing comprising a motor having a shaft, a propellertype fan on one end of said shaft for expelling air through the outletopening, an impeller also mounted on said shaft, and in advance of themotor and to the rear of said fan, a housing surrounding the impeller,said housing having an air intake opening receiving conditioned air fromthe interior of the casing and an outlet conduit extending beyond a wallof the casing, and

air inlet and outlet openings and including a radiator for conditioningair as it enters at the inlet opening, an air propelling unit within thecasing comprising a motor having a shaft, a propeller type fan on oneend of said shaft for expelling air through the outlet opening, animpeller also mounted on said shaft in advance of the motor and to therear of said fan; a housing surrounding the impeller, said housinghaving an air intake opening receiving conditioned air from the interiorof the casing and an outlet conduit extending beyond the wall of thecasing, and means for supporting said unit within the casing.

14. A unit heater comprising a casing having air inlet and outletopenings and including a radiator for conditioning air as it enters atthe inlet opening, an air propelling unit within the casing comprising amotor having a shaft, a propeller type fan on one end of said shaftarranged to draw air through said radiator and expell said air throughthe outlet opening, an impeller also mounted on said shaft and inadvance of the motor and to the rear of said fan, said impeller beingarranged to draw air through said radiator, a housing surrounding theimpeller, said housing having an air intake opening receivingconditioned air from the interior of the casing and an outlet conduitextending beyond the well of the casing, and means for supportingsaidunit within said casing.

15. A unit heater comprising casing members defining the confines ofsaid heater and forming air inlet and outlet openings, said casingmembers including a radiator for conditioning air as it enters at theinlet opening, an air propelling unit within said confines comprising amotor having a shaft, a propeller type fanon one end of said shaftarranged to draw air through said radiator and expel air through theoutlet opening, an impeller also mounted on said shaft and in advance ofthe motor and to the rear of said fan, a housing surrounding theimpeller, said housing havingan air intake opening receiving conditionedair. from the interior of the casing and an outlet conduit extendingbeyond the wall of the casing, and means for supporting said unit withinthe casing.

16. A unit heater comprising a heat transfer core, an air impellerarranged beyond said core to draw air through said core and todistribute the same radially, a motor having a shaft, said impellerbeing mounted on said shaft in advance of said motor, a housingenclosing said impeller and providing a passage for the flow of airthere from, a casing providing a. passage for the flow of air distinctfrom said flrstnamed passage, and a propeller type fan mounted on saidshaft in advance of said-impeller for drawing air through means forsupporting said unit within the casing.

13. A unit heater comprising a casing having said core and fordischarging the same through said last-named passage.

CARL E. MEYERHOEFER.

